Love in Saga #1

Comic books and the theme of love


Comic books are entertaining to read. Icons are used to reflect specific concepts, topics, and ideologies. The comic book Saga Volume 1 depicts a mother and father's attempt to defend their child from two warring extraterrestrial races. One of the main themes in the novel, as told by the boy, is the theme of love. Overall, Alana and Marko's flight is the result of their love for each other as well as their love for their boy. Writers use many comic devices and graphic features that highlight the passion that is present in the setting while disseminating the overarching concept.

The use of icons to depict love


To begin with, the icons used in the cover page communicate the love that is shared within the family of the main character. The use of the image icons strips down the intensity of the struggles around the three characters (McCloud 31). The authors use the close proximity to establish the strength that the family finds in the family unit. From the way Marko is holding his wife and Alana is holding the baby, it is plausible that the family is one which is founded on favorable metrics. In the last page, the characters are shown to be kissing. This act comprises another instance of close proximity which is used by the authors to decipher the love that exists between Marko and Alana. The close proximity allows us an insight into the nature of the relationship between the characters (Bang 27). Essentially, it allows the possibility of creating a perception of the intense passion that is present between Alana and Marko. The reader is thus empowered to establish closure on the theme of family love from the icons that are portrayed by the authors. For instance, from the last page in the Saga Volume 1, we are able to establish that Alana's and Marko's love will prevail in spite of the challenges that they will face in the future.

The use of simplified drawings and color


The use of drawing that is simplified but with a sense of real around the main characters in the comic book is a culmination of the need to show the precarious situation that the main characters find themselves in. This concept is often referred to as masking. It is intended to document the tribulations that Alana and Marko are subject as a result of their willingness to engage in a marriage that is shunned by both sides of the family. The realistic environment created within the comic is intended to further solicit empathy from the readers (Duncan, Smith and Levitz 66). Overall, it is hoped that the reader will relate more to the elements of the given comic if the reader is allowed to feel sensation for the given work of art. The colorful nature of the icons in the comic book is also intended to show the strength that Alana, Marko, and their child derive from the love in the family. The author uses color to communicate the ambience of the given setting and the potency of the relationship between the three main characters in the story. Essentially, we are able to determine the vitality of the relationship between Marko and Alana from the intensity of color that they are extended by the author (Wolk 15). Additionally, the theme of family love is also projected through the conversations that exist between Marko and Alana with regards to the child. When referring to their present situation, Marko mainly uses the term "we." For instance, when reinforcing the need to name the child immediately, Mark says "you said when we started this - no politics, no history, and no more barbaric religious nonsense" (Saga #1). This marks the use of abstract words by the authors to portray the favorable relationship that exists within the members of the family.

The use of single panels and frame transition


Similarly, Saga Volume 1 uses single panels to show the timelessness of love that exists between Alana and Marko. It serves to converge the two characters into a single space and hence giving more meaning to their relationship. The predominant use of single panels when addressing Marko and Alana's interactions stresses the importance of their union in the storyline. This is because time is perceived spatially in the comic books. The use of multiple panels during conflicts with their detractors symbolizes the inconsequential implications of the instances on the overall unity of Marko's and Alana's family. Also known as the splash page, single panels reinforce the significance of the shared moment between the characters and further glorifies their power over the other characters (Brunetti 82). Therefore, in Saga Volume 1, it is probable that the author is inclined to mitigate the implications of the conflicts that Marko and Alana face while at the same time promoting the progression of the love between the two individuals. Similarly, avoidance of words in the single panels when reflecting on Marko and Alana serves to extend the time length of the given moment. For instance, in the last page of the comic, the use of a single panel and wordlessness stresses the longevity of the given moment.

The interdependence of words and pictures and the use of gutters


Frame transition in the comic book further stresses the theme of family love. The absence of words in certain frames conveys the need for the bridging of the gap that exists between the representation and reality. Principally, it forces the reader to determine their own interpretations with regards to the events that are taking place in the comic book (Bang 35). Emphasis on the moment-to-moment frame when documenting the explorations of the two main characters in the Saga Volume further achieves the purpose of reinforcing the significance of the love between the two individuals. Overall, it emphasizes the stability of love that the two individuals share despite the challenges that they face. The use of Action-to-Action frames in capturing the conflicts within the novel negates the significance of such scenes on the overall theme of love. It, therefore, promotes the significance of love while negating the power of the resistance that is extended by the forces that are against Marko and Alana. Alternatively, the conveyance of the theme of family love is also shown in the use of duo-specific interactions in the comic book. Overall, the "words and the pictures combine to give specific meaning to the given setting and scene" (McCloud 151). The interdependence shared between these two elements is intended to emphasize the nature of the relationship between Alana and Marko. Therefore, the picture is a visual representation of the words that are being said by the characters in the comic book.

Lastly, the author's choice to employ gutters in the comic is further intended to promote the theme of love in the Saga Volume 1. According to McCloud (123), "art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes it visible." Essentially, the shape, direction, and width of the line used in separating scenes can influence the perceptions of the reader. Therefore, in choosing to engage the thin line, the authors of Saga Volume 1 hoped to establish the relatability of each event with regards to Alana and Marko's interactions. Essentially, it determined the close relationship between one event that affects the two characters to the other event. The thin lines symbolize love. The love that exists between Marko and his wife, Alana, together with their child. The use of the small lines evokes feelings of the friendliness that exists between the characters in the comic book. It further reinforces the timelessness of the love shared by the two characters in the comic. Lines have the potential to influence the emotional perceptions of the reader (Wolk 59). For instance, thick and jagged lines convey feelings of desperation and depravity.

In conclusion, the theme of love constitutes one of the major themes in the Saga Volume 1. The authors engage the elements of line, frame, drawing, and color to convey the strong love that is shared by Alana and Marko as well as their child. The words further accentuate the relationship between the two. From the words, we are able to discern that the characters are in love and that they are facing opposition from several detractors. Still, all the elements used serve to reinforce the stability and possible glory of love. In the end, despite the challenges that beleaguer Marko and Alana, it is likely that they will overcome their tribulations.

Works Cited


Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work . Chronicle Books , 2016 .


Brunetti, Ivan. Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice . Yale University Press , 2011.


Duncan, Randy, Matthew Smith and Paul Levitz. The Power of Comics: History, Form, and Culture . Bloomsbury Academic , 2015.


McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art . HarperPerennial , 1994.


Saga#1. http://www.readcomics.tv/saga/chapter-1/full Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.


Wolk, Douglas. Reading Comic: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean. Da Capo Press, 2008.

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